Wedding & Party Event Blog

Chicago History Museum Wedding from Melissa Hayes Photography

Chicago has chic down. That’s not a question. But this adorable couple took that Chicago chic style and added their own dash of cuteness, making for one personality-filled party. The best part? We get to see the ahh-inducing day unfold thanks to the talented Melissa Hayes Photography, and you can do just that right here.

From the Bride…Our wedding look place during a July heat wave in Chicago — 104 degrees outside! Our grandmothers were melting as we working through the pre-wedding photo session on the sun-drenched patio where our wedding was to take place that same evening. Fortunately, the temperature dropped 20 degrees over the course of the afternoon, bringing welcome relief and allowing us to have a beautiful outdoor ceremony in full view of Chicago’s beautiful Lincoln Park. We managed to speak our vows without breaking, and our best friends from different parts of our lives – including some “groomsmaids” and “bridesmen” – made their own contributions.

We then moved a inside to a glorious ballroom at the Chicago History Museum. It was outfitted in Jazz-era décor, with an overall theme of live music. Each table was named and decorated for a live show that my new husband and I had attended together, and at each setting was placed a small bottle of our homemade vintage Manhattan cocktail. In the same spirit, we had gone all-in on our ballroom dance training and were all set to begin our First Dance to end all dances, when the “wrong” song started to play. No problem — we had the perfect backup tango and it turned out even better than the original. One thing I learned that night: don’t get derailed by “little” problems during your wedding, whether it’s the wrong song, a late car, or a toppled wedding cake (yes, that happened). Those are the moments our family will treasure and laugh about for years to come.

While the celebration overall was kind of a whirl, I remember so many wonderful images – the beautiful succulent terrariums at the tables, the vintage whiskey decanters, the scalloped bodice of my once-in-a-lifetime dress and Scott’s perfect bowtie. After dinner we danced to a mix of 90s hip-hop and old country music, and left the party humming from all the excitement and floating like rock stars. It was the best day of our lives. Absolute magic.